Took a chance on the Quicklook model and loaded the car: paid off. 5.0 turned out to be underpowered much of the time, but perfect some of the time. Second best port tack sailing of the season until I hit a dead zone.

I took the Angulo G’ud 10’10” and the Ezzy Cheetah 7.0 and a paddle and loaded them in the van and went to New Brighton State Beach. I saw a couple of whales were out a few hundred yards and that there was not much wind. So I launched the SUP with a paddle and proceeded up the coast. There were good waves in sight up that way and I wanted to ride on them. I decided not to chase the whales. As I paddled up the coast, I noticed the wind seemed to be strengthening and paddling was becoming a slight workout. Quandary. What to do? Paddle on or go back and trade the paddle for a sail?
I paddled on to at least go see how the waves were. I had not even gotten to Bombora when a nicely shaped wave came in where I was as I paddled along. I turned the board to the direction of the wave, found that I easily caught it and rode it in to near the shore. Not bad. But if I could catch it that easily and the wind was where it was, about 5 to 7 knots, then I could also ride the wave under sail. So I paddled back to New Brighton and rigged up the sail and put the paddle away and re-launched under sail power. While getting ready to go out, I talked to one SUPper who had come back from being out and was leaving. He said that the waves were great at “toes over”. I asked him which break that was and he described the break in the area that I had called “The Playground”. Great! I was hoping it would be good wave riding there.
So I sailed out on my first tack out to go up the coast. As I coasted along I watched a couple of the Humpback Whales spouting and diving in the distance. Way in the distance, in the direction of Phil’s Fish Market, I could see huge splashes as big as houses which meant Humpbacks breaching.
I tacked in and saw lots of pelicans and gulls and harbor seals popping up here and there. Some more tacks and I was where I was when I caught the wave with the paddle. Another wave was coming in just then and I caught it for a ride. Fun! And less work than paddling and I had a handle bar to grasp. Balancing was easier. There was something to this lost art of windsurfing.
I continued up past Bombora which was somewhat quiet as I passed and I got to Toes Over. There were nice waves (small 2 to 3 feet) coming in and I caught and rode a wave out of almost every set coming in. I was enjoying the rides. After a while, the waves seemed to take a breather, so I headed out as I had seen dolphins and whales out beyond where the birds were in the multiple hundreds having a feeding frenzy. As I neared the frenzy sea lions were about and a big male started barking that sea lion bark and coming toward me. He eventually dove and I do not know if his bark was a warning or bragging about how many anchovies he had stuffed away.
I neared two whales that were hanging out very close, making me think it was a cow and calf pair. They were off my bow to the right. There was another pair farther out, dead ahead. The two that were close sounded while headed slowly in my direction. I continued on, not knowing where they might come up. I was scanning the water for anchovies taking flight, prepared to evade that spot should I see it. They eventually came up on my left side behind me. I sailed on further watching the other two whales spouting and sounding. I tacked when I was beyond them and headed back in, watching as I went. As I passed them and continued towards land, one rolled and had its long flipper out in the air waving it, almost as if to say, “Good-bye”.
As I went through the Capitola anchorage there were two big groups of sea lions of about twenty each. They were making the water boil with their antics as they corralled and munched on anchovies. They would leap out of the water like dolphins, sometimes in unison, sometimes in a peristaltic action. Pretty amazing to witness.
I sailed in to the Capitola Jetty break and just as I got inside of the kelp a nice set of waves came in and I rode a good wave past the surfers on down towards the Toes Over area. Then I continued to go in and out catching waves in the Toes Over or Playground spot. The wind was lightening and so it was getting difficult to catch waves. I decided to head back and hopefully make New Brighton prior to the wind dying all together. I went by Bombora, but it was difficult to see exactly where it was as it was calm at the moment. Just as I passed it a set came in, but too late for me to ride it.
I made it back to New Brighton while there was still a very slight breeze. After de-rigging and loading the van, I got the binoculars out and watched the whales some more. I believe that there were at least eight, just off of New Brighton area alone.

Amazingly I think I timed the wind perfect at Davenport today, first on the water, sailed 2 hours in nice sized surf. It looks like it might have dropped off after I left but had to get the wife and little one headed home.

Yesterday was doable at 160 lbs on 84 liters and a 5.7. Waves were nothing to sometimes head high, with mostly waist to shoulder high sets. For this time of year, I'll take it. The kites were only able to go left, since the wind was too lite to keep their kites aloft while running down the line. Windsurfers were able to go both directions. Mostly getting one hit frontside floaters.

Post sesh red gold sunset magic looking south at hundreds of pelicans gliding their way up the coast forming looping lines and arrows undulating with the air currents. Why live anywhere else?

Natural Bridges today. Enticed by seeing 20 mph winds on the Longs Marine Laboratory wind meter that was recently fixed. Thought it might be in error and double checked by looking at the webcam on the Santa Cruz Wharf pointed at Steamers Lane. Whitecaps in the multitudes past the lighthouse, wind meter must be right.
By the time I got there I could only get 9 knots on my handheld in the overlook parking lot. So went out on a 7.0 Ezzy Cheetah and my 10'10" Angulo Sail-SUP.
Nice swell coming in. Was able to ride it in and go on the shoulder of it around Sidewalks. Well sometimes the wind was strong enough to catch it, sometimes not. But when it was, it was fun! Some of the swell reached five feet on the face.
It was so good to get a sailing session in. I had been SUPping mostly of late. As good as SUPping is, Windsurfing is better.
Indeed. Why live anywhere else.

Wed: nice short afternoon session with 6.0 + 100L powered up. Wind was already up when I arrived at 2:20 and for a while I thought I was going to be overpowered. Two people out. Devin showed up unfortunately when the wind died at around 4 pm.

Thu: Cold and overcast. Out about 45' with 7.3 + Isonic that worked quite well. Too lonely to really enjoy so I called it short

Fri: very nice day! Sunny and warm, longish afternoon session with 6.0 + 100L, starting at 2:30 powered up to underpowered at 4:00-4:30. Five people out. Wind came back at 4:50 while the sun set behind the hills.

And this might be it, until February ...

PS The Firelight 6.0 + HSM Ultra mast + Severne Enigma boom is incredibly light. The rig complete is around 6.5 Kg, it feels like nothing in the hands in transitions ... can't believe a 6.0 can be so light.

Natural Bridges for me today. Naish Titan 135 & Ezzy 7.0 Cheetah.
A little swell, usually about 2 feet on the face and pretty random as to when sets would come in. Dolphins and sea lions feeding close to shore. Saw the dolphin pod on about every reach at the shore end. They seemed unconcerned that I was there. Sailed to about 4 p.m. when the when died off.

Decent wind, sunny and warm at stick today from around 2PM to 4PM. Pretty much fully powered on 5.3/100 from 2:30PM to 3:30PM. At least 8 sailors out with 3 still on the water when I left at 4PM. This is mid November and one guy told me he was overpowered on a 6.2....life is good!

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